I'm just curious... Are handguns really even carried much by soldiers, and if so what kind are allowed to be used by the Army? Can you just use whatever you want to bring?
2007-09-23 06:03:13 · 9 answers · asked by Grant 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Handguns are still used and are great to have in addition to your primary weapon. One thing that we found was that Iraqi's will react more to a pistol being pointed at them than a rifle. Our interpreter told us that was because Saddam's henchmen would use pistols to take care of their work rather than rifles, so we learned to use our pistols if we really wanted to get someones attention quickly. One of the biggest reasons that you can't use whatever you bring to the fight is our compliance with the Geneva Convention. We have to use ball type ammunition. Hollow point is said to cause too much suffering and is therefore against the laws of land warfare to use.
2007-09-23 07:14:23 · answer #1 · answered by Paul B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Last question first; No, you carry the weapon assigned to your duty position according to your unit's Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE).
The standard Army side arm is the Barretta Model 92F 9mm automatic loading pistol. It is strongly believed that the 9mm lacks the knock down power it requires for its task so studies are on going to upgrade back to the .45 caliber APC cartride or some other caliber such as the .40 caliber APC, the .45 caliber has a lot more fans than the .40 caliber however.
Pistols are purely self defense weapons unlike a carbine or rifle which can reach out and touch someone, offensive weapons. If you failed to stop the enemy with your rifle or carbine, having a pistol isn't going to do you very much good as you already screwed and allowed your enemy to get too close. The object of the infantry is to close with the enemy and destroy him, not to allow the enemy to close with you....
2007-09-23 14:38:08 · answer #2 · answered by oscarsix5 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The M-9 Berreta 9mm is the current US service pistol. Some people like the Berreta, I think it is crap. I do not think it fills the role of a pistol well at all (close in defensive shooting aka knockdown power is preferable to firepower).
.45 ACP pistols are carried often times by various "special forces" units the type and model depends on the unit.
The majority of the US units who carry .45 ACP pistols use variations of the model 1911 Colt which is probley the best combat pistol ever made...go figure.
You cannot carry "personal" firearms at all, you have to use what is issued.
2007-09-23 14:07:42 · answer #3 · answered by h h 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3 types of Handguns are used in the US Army Today
a). M9 Berretta 9mm Caliber
b). M11 Sig 9mm Caliber
c). M1911A1 Colt 45 Caliber(Socom)
2007-09-23 14:59:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
US Army soldiers carry handguns, they call them sidearms. I carry the standard issue Beretta 9mil. This is the only authorized sidearm. Personal firearms are prohibited. I carry mine every day here in Iraq along with my M-16 assault rifle. They are useful in close quarters combat and if or when there is a malfunction with my rifle.
2007-09-23 13:27:39 · answer #5 · answered by sapperholland 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my line of work, cav scout, we carry the M-9. When I was in Iraq just about all of us carried a sidearm (pistol). It is very useful for clearing rooms etc where a rifle of a carbine is too large. The lower velocity of the round (9mm) is also a benefit as you don't have to worry as much about the round going through one or two walls if you fire it indoors. It also allows you a quick back up if your rifle / carbine gets jammed / runs out of ammo / or taken in a hand to hand struggle. Lastly it serves a psychological fear factor if you draw it instead of pointing your rifle to some Iraqis. Let's them know you mean business.
Current rules only allow you to carry ISSUED weapons AUTHORIZED by the US government. Any personal weapons are illegal.
2007-09-23 13:20:51 · answer #6 · answered by dee dee dee (mencia) 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on your job in the military. In general only Military issued weapons are allowed to be carried by Soldiers.
Currently that is only the M11,M9 and for some Special Ops personnel the M1911 or .45.
2007-09-23 13:22:56 · answer #7 · answered by Albert F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes the m-9 handgun is used the most i have seen some 45.s but they were being carried by the Marines
2007-09-23 13:25:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, soldiers do carry handguns ("sidearms" in military terms).
The ones that would typically carry sidearms are commissioned officers, armor (tank) crews, machinegunners, helicopter pilots, military police, and special operations sometimes do.
You do not use whatever you want to bring, for logistical reasons. It's all about standardized ammunition, plus if mine were to break and I took yours off your corpse, they want it to be something I've seen before so I don't shoot myself in the face loading it.
2007-09-23 13:23:04 · answer #9 · answered by open4one 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋